


My Only Sunshine

by darkesky



Series: picking up the pieces [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviants (Detroit: Become Human), F/M, Family Feels, Love Confessions, Other, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 04:21:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16442870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkesky/pseuds/darkesky
Summary: Tensions already run dreadfully high. The furnace broke down in their little house in Canada, so winter floods through their home. Luther goes stir-crazy in a quiet way, exhausted with the way they alternate days they’re willing to go out. Something’s bound to break.This time, it just happens to be Kara.---The journey back to Detroit isn't as long as it might have been. Not when Kara has her family with her.





	My Only Sunshine

It starts, as all things do, with an argument about Alice. Tensions already run dreadfully high. The furnace broke down in their little house in Canada, so winter floods through their home. Luther goes stir-crazy in a quiet way, exhausted with the way they alternate days they’re willing to go out. Something’s bound to break.

This time, it just happens to be Kara. 

“She just wants to go to  _ school,  _ Luther!” Her voice jumps painfully high and shrill.  _ Luther  _ gets to go outside and work odd jobs because nobody works twice at a construction worker. If she tried for a job, it’d have to be something a little more  _ delicate  _ than that. 

Luther sighs and turns to her slightly. “Kara, it isn’t safe.”

“So we find someplace that  _ is  _ safe. We go back to… To  _ Detroit  _ or something!” The secret wish wound tightly around her heart, but Kara rarely tried to hide it from Luther. She steals newspapers and watches their old TV. Detroit’s finally safer than Canada.

A shadow passes his face, and he shutters shut. “We can’t return to Detroit. I don’t want Alice to get hurt there.”

“She’s not going to school. She’s not leaving the house.  _ I’m  _ not leaving the house. Don’t you want some kind of normalcy around here? You could get a permanent job somewhere. We could have a house where we don’t have to wear our  _ coats and gloves  _ inside! This isn’t a life!” Kara gestures around wildly, but she’s not even sure what she’s gesturing at. Everything here counts as proof of her statement. 

He turns his cheek to hide whatever expression starts twisting at his face. “This is  _ our  _ life though.”

“And I’d love to spend every second of it with you.” Kara crosses the space between them, the fire immediately extinguishing. She grabs at Luther’s hand, letting his hands dwarf hers. “I want to spend it out in the sunlight with you and Alice… We could even get the Jerrys and Ralph and… All of these people we’ve made into our family along the way.”

“If we leave, we endanger everyone on the way back.” His doubts wane slightly, and he makes eye contact with her. She lets out a shaky breath and presses her head against him. 

Quietly, he wraps his arms around and surrounds her with warmth. She drinks in the sunlight he brings with her, and all of winter fades to background noise. When Kara cranes her neck back to look Luther in the eye, she can’t resist the smile crawling across her face. 

She wants to tell him she loves him. Yet, the only person she’s ever said that to is her precious Alice. Saying it to Alice means something else entirely, though. Kara wants to be a mom, and Alice wants to be her daughter, and they just slot together perfectly. Luther, on the other hand, never  _ really  _ got a role in their family officially… But Alice started calling him  _ dad  _ and…

‘I love you’ carries too many strings with it, and she doesn’t want the mess with it. Kara, after all, is built to clean  _ up  _ messes.

“Mom, can I have a bedtime story…?” Alice’s voice trails off as she witnesses what unfolds in front of her. Kara flinches out of Luther’s arm, quickly extracting herself, and she beams at Alice. Here she thought Alice  _ must  _ be asleep, but Alice never really had a penchant for rules. 

She nods, gives Luther one last soft look, and begins to climb the stairs. Before she reaches the top, Alice stretches out her arm slightly to block the half. She stares at Kara with her watery, puppy-dog eyes. “Are we really going to go back to Detroit, Mom?”

“Maybe.” Kara would need to call up Rose Chapman, make sure she can help them sneak back across the border. Then again, whenever she spent time with Rose, Kara’d venture upon the idea. It’s  _ clear  _ Rose approves of them going back to Detroit while she prefers staying in Canada for her son. 

A smile abruptly splits her face. “Do you think we could meet Markus? I want to thank him for everything he’s done for us!”

“I’m sure we can meet Markus.” She’s almost certain they’re  _ required  _ to meet Markus. They have an outreach program starting up, and they have specific steps all androids must do. Naturally, Kara intends to stop by the headquarters of Jericho to ensure she gets the proper registration.

Alice beams. “Are you going to be a police officer? Or a teacher? Or-”

“It’s time for bed.” Luther lopes up the stairs behind them, and he swoops up Alice. She squeals excitedly, waving goodnight to Kara over his shoulder. Kara’s smile brightens the second she sees how  _ good  _ Luther is with Alice. Sometimes, she forgets she can trust someone else with Alice now. 

This is her family, and it’s time she finally gets them a  _ life.  _

\---

“Thank you, Rose, for everything you’ve done for us.” Kara tries to hide the tears welling behind her eyes. She wipes at her eyes and sniffles. Rose holds none of the same qualms, openly crying as the three prepare to board the busses and return to Detroit. 

Adam plays with Alice by the benches, and occasionally, Kara can hear one of them laugh so  _ brightly.  _ Luckily, all of them have been rid of their LED lights. Nobody will even suspect the three as androids right now. To the outside eye, everyone will view them as two children playing with each other before they leave for good. 

Rose backs up and scans Kara up and down. “You take good care of yourself, you hear? This summer, I imagine me and Adam will head back down to America for a trip… I expect I can visit your family, all  _ whole  _ and  _ healthy.” _

“We’ll be safe. I promise.” Kara slides her hands into her pockets and fiddles with the edge of the tickets. These ones, thank rA9, are legal. These ones don’t restrict a family with a baby from boarding the bus and leaving the war ground of America. 

Nodding, she turns slightly and faces Luther. “And you two, be  _ good  _ to each other.”

Thirium swells in her cheeks, and Kara ducks her head slightly. “Rose, we aren’t like that.”

“Not yet.” A mischievous glint enters Rose’s eyes. Then, she takes off the knit hat she dons on her head. Kara didn’t see this particular one until  _ after  _ the revolution, but she certainly registers it now. Now, Kara remembers one of Rose’s relatives gifted it to her as a welcome gift to Canada. Curled across the hat is Rose’s last name, written in gold cursive. “Here. Take it as a parting gift.”

“Rose-”

“A new part of the registration process is giving androids last names. I know you and Alice already had a temporary one, but it’s associated with an  _ ugly  _ man. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to offer my own last name to you three.” A small smile writes its way across her face, almost too fragile to look at.

Kara’s tears finally swell out of her eyes and pour down her cheeks. “Rose, we’d  _ love  _ that. You’ve done so much for you, and-”

“It’s no big deal. You’ve deserved everything I could provide you with. I only wish I could have given you more.” Rose steps forward and wraps Kara in one last hug, squeezing her as hard as she can. Kara sniffles and hugs back as tightly as she can without breaking her human-safety protocol.

Finally, the bus sidles up to the curb. Rose reluctantly releases her from her embrace. “I’ll miss you, Kara.”

“I’ll miss you, Rose. We’ll call almost every day possible. And when we get to Detroit, we’ll make sure you get our new address. Just… You make sure you stay safe too.” Kara reluctantly gathers her things, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder and smiling ever so slightly. 

Luther approaches behind her, immediately taking the bag from her to carry it across his broad shoulders. “Kara, we have to go.”

“Go. Have fun.” Rose winks ever so slightly, and Kara blushes once more. She offers Rose another goodbye before quickly hurrying off to grab Alice. 

As she walks over, Kara leans into Luther. “In a strange way, I’m going to miss Canada. The peacefulness of it.”

He entangles his hand in hers, and her heart skips a beat. The chance of this being a romantic gesture spikes abnormally high. However, it’s still  _ Luther.  _ He might be doing this as a show of support rather than a kind of romance. So, Kara can’t act on this gesture alone.

His voice comes as a deep rumble, one which could move mountains. “I’ll miss Canada too. But wherever you go, I’ll be content.”

Romantic probability feels  _ abnormally  _ high, but what do androids know about romance? After all, they all keep protocols and programming in place to have something to fall back on. If Luther truly wants to be deviant, maybe he deactivated such things. Maybe this is just how he wants to comfort her this particular time.

“Is it time to go?” Alice asks, tearing her gaze away from Adam.

Once again, tears flood Kara’s eyes. She moves forward and wraps her arms around her daughter, and she sighs. “It is. Say your goodbyes fast, Alice. It’s time to go back to Detroit.”

\---

Detroit’s been through a war, and Kara acknowledges it the  _ second  _ she walks off the bus. Alice knits her fingers in Kara’s and ducks behind her. Luther, on the other side of her, simply stares down the state of destruction mingled with new life. He smiles while Kara gazes upon the home she once knew well.

Then, they head towards New Jericho. The whole time, she watches Alice skip around and anxiously take in the sight of the park. The whole time, she drifts closer and closer to Luther. The whole time, Kara comes to the stunning conclusion in the midst of the gleam of snow and the shine of the sun. 

She loves Luther. She wants to stay with him for the rest of her life… And considering they’re androids, that’ll be a long time. She wants to wake up next to him, she wants to always walk hand in hand, she wants him.

“What are you thinking about?” Luther asks softly.

Kara turns to him and  _ panics.  _ “Meeting Markus. Again. The last thing he needs on his plate is us. But here we are, turning to them to find us a temporary house and jobs and… I don’t know he handles all of Jericho.”

“Some people are big heroes. Some people play their roles in smaller ways.” He gives her a pointed look. For rA9’s sake, all she seems to do lately is blush bright blue. Luther always remains so calm and collected no matter what he does, and Kara just doesn’t  _ get it. _

Alice pauses in her excitement. “That’s Jericho, isn’t it?”

“New Jericho,” Luther corrects softly. 

She knows Alice is probably too young to know the true meaning behind the building. She’s certain  _ this  _ is the old Cyberlife building. Kara remembers brief moments of existence with a man conducting the preliminary tests and functions. A chill races down her back which has nothing to do with the winter air curling around her and her family.

Squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine, she gives them a bright smile. “Let’s go meet our savior.”

\---

Apparently, meeting the savior is a little harder than anticipated. Upon entering Jericho, you’re given a time slot to wait and meet with one of the leaders of Jericho. While Markus is one of the possibilities, you meet with the one which aligns closest with who you used to be. 

And Markus apparently only works every other day. 

“I’m Simon!” their assistant cheerfully says the second they enter the conference room. He has a whole plethora of papers spread out in front of him, and he props his head on his head. Briefly, his gaze goes unfocused as he scans the papers in front of him. “Kara?”

“That’s me,” she laughs softly. Luther went into another room with someone named Yves, and Alice gets to go play with the other YK500s situated at New Jericho. She notes the brand of the android sitting in front of them, and she cocks her head slightly. “You’re a childcare assistant, aren’t you? Well,  _ weren’t  _ you?”

Something flickers across his face, and she instantly regrets asking. Most of the time, backstories are tricky subjects. Maybe asking is too  _ forward  _ for just meeting the man. Then, the blonde opens up ever so slightly and nods. “Yep, I was. Is that how you meet Alice?”

“Yeah.” Kara smiles at him, and he smiles back. She already likes Simon, Kara decides. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but she knows they could friends if she tries. And Kara is going to try.

Simon slides one of the sheets of paper across the table to her. “So, what are you planning on doing here?”

“I don’t know yet. But we weren’t safe in Canada, and that was no life for my daughter.” Kara studies the questions she’s meant to fill out. All of them are simple enough. They ask where she used to live, what she used to do. It asks which occupations she might want to pursue, but none of them stick out to her like they  _ should.  _

He notes her expression. “Hey, Kara? It’s okay if you don’t figure it out for awhile. It’s weird for androids like us. Like, okay, I spent all of my time with a family, looking after their children. There’s no job really meant to model that. Besides that, no humans want you to watch their kids, and… It’s just a mess.”

“So how does a childcare assistant end up as a leader of Jericho?” She smiles softly at him… Encouragingly. Kara wants to hear the stories of other deviants. 

Simon shrugs slightly though. “Circumstance. How does a childcare assistant end up in Canada?”

“Circumstance.” She rubs her finger over the possible jobs one can have. “It’s a big leap. I just… I wanted to be a mother more than  _ anything.  _ Now, what do I do with my life?”

“You can stay at home.” Simon bursts out laughing the second he sees the face she makes. “I figured you wouldn’t want  _ that  _ suggestion. Um… Jobs most in demand are in healthcare and teaching for androids. I’d assume you’d want-”

“Healthcare,” Kara interrupts.

He blinks. “Okay, yeah. I guess assuming does make you an ass. Healthcare?”

“There’s a lot of… War here. It’s a lot of darkness. If I could do  _ anything  _ to keep the light here, just for a little bit longer, then I want it. It’s not something I have experience with, but I’ve patched up Alice and Luther and…” Kara looks down and feels a slight blush playing at her cheeks. “I want to make a difference. I want people  _ not  _ to live in fear. And if you’re in need of healthcare…”

“You sound like Markus,” Simon marvels. 

Kara lifts her head. “Really?”

“It’s a good thing! Um… Here. Let me get you set up with some basic courses or something… You’re passionate. And that’s going to get you far.” His smile keeps growing wider and wider the more Kara talks.

She nods a little. “It’s not stupid?”

“It’s not! I…” He quickly scribbles something down on two sheets of paper. One, he passes to Kara without a second thought. The other, he adds to the copious amounts of paper he has amassed upon his desk. 

Staring down at the numbers, it takes a few seconds for her to connect the dots. “Oh! I didn’t mean it like-”

“I’m gay,” Simon blurts. They make eye contact for what feels like hours, awkward and stuck in the moment. Then, Kara giggles to herself and Simon starts laughing. It only takes a few seconds before they’re both howling over Simon’s abrupt confession.

She wipes at her eyes. “As you said, I guess I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“There are, uh,  _ better  _ ways to broach that subject. I just wanted you to know you have a friend now.” Simon gets to his feet, and he helps Kara to hers. Before she can doubt it, she instantly hugs him as tight as she can… Much tighter than she could possibly go with Rose. 

He hugs her back, laughing in her ear. “You can do  _ so much,  _ Kara. Good luck.”

“You too, Simon.” She releases him. “You too.”

\---

She steps past the front door of their new house, and the floodgates erupt in a second. Kara spins on her heel and tugs at Luther’s collar. When he bends down in question, she plasters her lips against his. Alice lets out a happy squeak behind them.

When they part, he stares at her with his bright eyes. A teasing smirk crosses his face. “What was that for?”

“I said I wanted a home and a life. But  _ you two  _ are my home, my life. I love  _ both of you.”  _ And then, Kara kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't feel nearly as confident about this one, but I also feel like Kara's story flowed a little more choppy in the game as well. It skipped along points of her journey to Canada, so I wanted to kinda parallel that and show points back to Detroit? 
> 
> Also, I didn't realize I wanted Kara and Simon as best friends until this moment.


End file.
